In 1976, there were six high school boys hockey teams in the state of Maine. It was odd that a state with such severe winters wouldn’t be more of a hockey hotbed. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes =… Read More
The Woodland boys basketball team is coming off a strong 2007-08 season, when the Dragons took Central Aroostook of Mars Hill to overtime in the Eastern Maine Class D final before falling to the eventual state champions. And with the bulk of the roster back… Read More
FORT KENT – University of Maine-Fort Kent sophomore Andre Anderson has been named to the NAIA Men’s Soccer All-America Second Team. Anderson is the first UMFK athlete to receive the honor. The Bengals compiled a 20-1-2 record this fall and advanced to the national quarterfinals. Read More
Walk through any local bookstore and you’ll find a corner filled with volumes that deal exclusively with Maine. Ghost stories from Maine. Trail maps from Maine. The history of the logging and shipbuilding and farming of Maine. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
Rivalries are fun in any sport, especially in track and field. When the Brewer Witches and Bangor Rams go at it in the Eastern Maine Indoor Track League, there is usually a championship feeling in the air. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
It must be high school basketball season, I’m thinking, because announcers Dale Duff and Bruce Anderson are on my radio at AM 620 WZON, broadcasting the local boys hoop game between Bangor High and Hampden Academy. Hmmm… with the snow and the cold weather, is… Read More
Long trips covering great distances and many miles are not unusual for students at Maine Maritime Academy, but usually those trips are taken by boat or ship. While most of their fellow students were returning home for Thanksgiving break, the Mariners’ men’s and women’s basketball… Read More
For many of us, hunting season has ended, and we’re left to catalog the things we did well, the things we did poorly and the things we didn’t do at all (like tag a deer) during our month in the woods. But as I like… Read More
CARRABASSETT VALLEY – Two feet of natural snow, along with a revamped snowmaking system, has benefited skiers and snowboarders at Sugarloaf as the resort opened the mountain’s summit to guests on Friday. Resort officials say that the conditions provide some of the best early-season skiing… Read More
Considering the wariness of white-tailed deer, you’d think hunters hereabouts would have realized the advantages of tree stands way back along. Think about it: deer can’t smell scent drifting above their heads and they normally don’t look upward, unless, of course, attracted by motion. Accordingly, and with no… Read More
Time to go out on a limb – again – with predictions for the 2008-09 Eastern Maine schoolboy basketball season that begins tonight. Class A: Bangor is the two-time defending EM champion and should be strong again this winter, though coach Roger Reed’s club sports… Read More
Losing consistently is difficult for any competitive athlete. Frustration builds and confidence sags with each defeat. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if… Read More
For the past several years, I’ve been singing the praises of Dan Legere, the personable proprietor of Greenville’s Maine Guide Fly Shop. Legere hosts the annual drift boat trip we give away to a lucky angler, and the day I get to spend on the… Read More
Local interscholastic swimming and diving teams open the 2008-09 season Friday at the annual Penobscot Valley Conference Relay Carnival scheduled for the Wallace pool on the UMaine campus in Orono. Among the teams participating in Friday’s male and female competition is Mount Desert Island High… Read More
The University of Southern Maine will honor former women’s basketball coach Gary Fifield during halftime of Saturday’s 1 p.m. Little East Conference game against Keene State College. There will be a special presentation honoring Fifield at center court of Hill Gymnasium at approximately 1:30 p.m.,… Read More
BELFAST – The Belfast wrestling team was so dominant at the 2008 Class B state championship meet that it clinched the title before the consolation- and championship-round matches were contested. So with just two seniors graduated from the program’s first state championship team since 1995,… Read More
Ashley Underwood put in countless hours honing her basketball skills. It paid off. She was a 1,000-point scorer at Cony High School in Augusta and at the University of Maine. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var… Read More
Bangor-area college football television viewers have been tackled for a loss this season. After a seven-year run on low-power Bangor TV station WBGR (Ch. 33), CBS college football broadcasts of late Saturday afternoon games have not aired on WBGR, or primary CBS affiliate WABI, this… Read More
Since its founding in 1999, the Maine Winter Sports Center has built a reputation for providing the facilities and coaching that can help developing athletes excel. Case in point: Of the 10 biathletes who competed for the United States in the Torino Olympic Games in… Read More
When the Katahdin girls basketball team tips off its season Saturday in Stacyville against Bangor Christian, the Cougars will have dual leadership on the bench from two coaching veterans. Terry Duffy and Phil Faulkner will team up to guide Katahdin’s fortunes this winter. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
I must confess that I actually missed last week’s so-called Black Friday, the post-Thanksgiving day, which finds droves of shoppers racing out to begin the Christmas shopping season. In my house, we do keep lists, giving everyone from Santa Claus to Aunt Linda just what… Read More
The Red Sox can only hope the expected signing of 22-year-old Junichi Tazawa from Japan will be as good as the one that brought them Daisuke Matsuzaka. The Daily Yomiuri Online reported Sunday that Tazawa will sign with the Sox and the Boston newspapers are… Read More
Hiking is all about simplicity. It doesn’t take much more than a pair of boots, a pack and the will to walk along a trail to become a hiker. That probably explains the activity’s popularity. Hikers of all types fan out along trails from community paths to mountain… Read More
Ever since I became a teenager, with few exceptions the long Thanksgiving weekend was designated for three great days in deer camp with family and friends. Since my wedding took place on the Saturday after Thanksgiving many years ago, that kind of threw a monkey wrench into that… Read More
Each morning, upon waking, I gaze out my third-story bedroom window to enjoy the sun rising over Casco Bay. On one particular morning a week ago, the view was especially beautiful: The sky was perfectly clear, yet the air over the ocean was slightly misty. Read More
The University of Maine Black Bear men and women swimmers competed in the three-day Boston University Invitational recently and faced fast competition in the trial and final meet, a different format than the dual meet format in which Maine traditionally has competed during the first semester. Read More
Dan O’Connell’s formula for coaching success is not revolutionary. “The biggest thing I’ve found is that if you get the community behind you and you treat the kids with respect and get them to believe in themselves, you’re going to be successful,” he said. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
Maine was well-represented at both the NCAA Division I and Division III national cross country championship meets held last weekend. Belfast native Levi Miller and Ayalew Taye of Portland combined to lead Georgetown University to a 10th-place finish at the Division I meet in Terra… Read More
Thanksgiving is a time of reflection for many Americans who, even in these difficult economic times, are glad to live here in the United States. For most, the holiday is a chance for families to spend the day together and share a dinner table jammed… Read More
For many Mainers, the words Down East refer to a region along the coast, though those outside the state can be forgiven for referring to the entire state with the quaint term … and referring to all of us Mainers as “Down Easters.” For others… Read More
The National Soccer Coaches Association of America has announced that the University of Maine is one of only 59 schools of all three NCAA divisions in the country to have both the men’s and women’s soccer teams earn the Team Academic Award for the 2007-08 academic year. To… Read More
Aroostook County ball is synonymous with the fast-break and transition game, so it should be no surprise a player from Fort Kent High School has fit in nicely with the run-and-gun Saint Joseph’s College Monks. Still, the sight of the 6-foot-7, 275-pound Mitch Ouellet on… Read More
They have quietly ascended to the top of the Eastern Conference in the National Hockey League. But in the Boston media scene, the Boston Bruins are the odd team out. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var… Read More
The first indoor track and field meets of the season are still a few weeks away, but there are already a great deal of subplots in the winter-long drama also known as the Eastern Maine Indoor Track League. For one, Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference teams… Read More
With each passing day, the deer hunters I know become more and more frustrated. They’re not shooting deer. They’re not seeing deer. Some say they’ve forgotten what deer look like. OK. Maybe the last part’s not true. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
The University of Maine women’s hockey team is looking forward to playing at The Colisee in Lewiston tonight as the Black Bears will take on Vermont in Hockey East action. “It’s pretty exciting,” said junior center Jenna Ouellette. “It’s always nice to play at home. Read More
The next time you attend a high school basketball game in eastern Maine, take a look at the game officials down on the floor. Ever wonder where these men and women come from? Or, better yet, ever wonder how they got there in the first… Read More
Morgan Frame has been a dominating force in the Eastern Maine Class B basketball landscape for the past few years. Her imposing presence in the paint has spearheaded Waterville’s run of 44 consecutive victories and two consecutive Class B state championships. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
When University of Maine men’s basketball coach Ted Woodward signed guard Gerald McLemore last year, he knew he was getting a guard capable of stepping right into the rotation and making an instant impact. While that has borne out, what Woodward didn’t know was that… Read More
Happy Thanksgiving. Tough times make more meaningful the substance of life, family being at the top and helping others in need close behind – more on that later. On the far more mundane matter of sports, baseball in particular, here might be a few things… Read More
Young Mainers with an interest in the outdoors and some art ability can combine the two in a contest being run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The 14th annual statewide competition for the Federal Duck Stamp Design Contest is under way, and the… Read More
Maine trappers exist in a world that many don’t see and perform tasks that many others don’t want to think about. Until, that is, a certain critter makes people want to think about those tasks. When your local beaver builds an addition to his house,… Read More
After last winter’s record-setting snowfall and its corresponding devastation to central and northern Maine’s deer population, this fall’s hunting season had been awaited with a mix of anticipation and apprehension, of dread and hope. Summer sightings of whitetails by woodcutters, anglers and campers were nowhere near normal numbers… Read More
Perhaps this space – and the predictions that follow – should be turned over to colleague Pete Warner, he of the record eighth Bangor Daily News Football Forecast championship secured recently. But since he’s preoccupied by the University of Maine football team’s bid for a… Read More
There are plenty of incentives for runners to show up in Brewer Sunday for Brewer High’s annual Turkey Trot 5K road race. . A fast, challenging course. The out-and-back layout on Dirigo Drive produced some positive feedback in its first year and some fast times… Read More
If you were one of the successful moose hunters who took part in the September and October seasons, you no doubt realize that most of your fellow hunters also filled their tags. That’s the way Maine’s modern hunt is: A hefty percentage of hunters find… Read More
Play-by-play announcer Rich Kimball and color analyst Bob Lucy of the University of Maine football radio network will host a special show tonight from 6 to 6:30 on WAEI Bangor (97.1 FM). Black Bears head coach Jack Cosgrove, along with former UMaine coach Walt Abbott and Dave Coulson,… Read More
ORONO – The University of Maine plans a community rally at 12:15 p.m. today for the Black Bear football team, which will take a six-game winning streak into a Saturday showdown against the University of New Hampshire. The rally is at UMaine’s Memorial Union. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
The interscholastic swim season began Monday when swimmers and divers opened their training leading to the 2008-09 state meets in February. The first countable competition for the season is Dec. 5 and the final countable competition is Feb. 7. For many of the high school… Read More
AUGUSTA – If the number of race dates awarded to Maine’s fairs and commercial racetracks is a good indication, the overall health of the harness racing industry continues to improve. The Maine State Harness Racing Commission held its annual hearing for licensing and race-date assignments… Read More
The University of Maine men’s hockey team doesn’t have anybody among the nation’s top 50 scorers. But the 6-3 Black Bears have been able to win five straight games behind their team defense, special teams and ability to score timely goals. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
If there was ever a time to attend a University of Maine football game, Saturday is the day. This is as close to a playoff game as there has ever been at Morse Field. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var… Read More
The Foxcroft Academy wrestling team needed a new coach in its quest for a sixth consecutive Eastern Maine Class C championship this winter. So the Ponies turned to the Hall of Fame. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes =… Read More
Bears need strong finish to season Game against New Hampshire will decide UMaine’s postseason future
The University of Maine football team embraces a simple philosophy of playing well enough in every game to be in position to win in the fourth quarter. The Black Bears now look to transfer that philosophy onto the end of their season. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
ORONO – University of Maine men’s soccer freshman Daniel Tannous of Thornhill, Ontario, was named to Canada’s men’s U-20 team for its upcoming camp in Switzerland. Tannous is one of 18 players selected by coach Tony Fonseca for the team, which will play two preparatory matches in Switzerland. Read More
CARRABASSETT VALLEY – Sugarloaf has begun snowmaking and the resort plans to open for the season Friday. Rich Wilkinson, vice president of operations, said forecasts are looking favorable for a good window of snowmaking before Friday. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
BANGOR – Levant’s Tyler Cotter bowled his first career 300 game at Family Fun Bowling Center during the High School Bowling League. The 18-year-old Hermon High School senior rolled 254-173-300 for a 727 series. It was the first perfect game on synthetic lanes at Family… Read More
I was never much of an outdoorsman. Having said that, I do retain many family memories of the upcoming Thanksgiving week. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i… Read More
For the past several months, avid anglers and conservationists have been paying close attention to the Penobscot River, where adult Atlantic salmon returned in numbers not seen in years. After early May’s freshet finally flowed into the ocean, the fish trap at the Veazie Dam… Read More
PORTLAND – The Class B state football final between Mountain Valley of Rumford and Morse High of Bath on Saturday at 11:06 a.m. will open the three-game day at Fitzpatrick Stadium, the Maine Principals’ Association announced Monday. The Class C game between John Bapst of… Read More
The Maine Baseball Hall of Fame is seeking nominations for its 2009 inductions. Nominations should include a resume and may be sent to: Maine Baseball Hall of Fame, P.O. Box 1062, Yarmouth, ME 04096. The submission deadline is Dec. 10. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
PORTLAND – Josh McAuliffe of Bangor advanced to a final in the USA Boxing New England Championships by defeating Brent Whitley of Holyoke, Mass., by unanimous decision in a light heavyweight division semifinal bout Saturday at the Portland Boxing Club. The finals are set for… Read More
PORTLAND – Boston Red Sox reliever Justin Masterson will be the featured speaker when the Portland Sea Dogs host a hot stove dinner and silent auction Friday, Jan. 9 at the Wyndham Hotel in South Portland. All proceeds from the dinner and auction will benefit… Read More
LOUDON, N.H. – Late-model stock car drivers will race in New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s inaugural American-Canadian Tour Invitational during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sylvania 300 weekend next September. The invitational will have a purse of more than $65,000 for invited and approved teams. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
In Friday’s editions of this paper, you may have read about the Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife’s plan to make budget cuts in response to a directive by Gov. John Baldacci. You didn’t see my name on any ballots during the recent election, but… Read More
Edward Little of Auburn, which reached the Eastern Maine Class A boys basketball championship game last winter, was picked as the top team for the 2008-09 season in the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class A coaches preseason poll. Coaches had their annual preseason meeting Thursday… Read More
A sports management conference was held in Toronto this week with executives from both the players’ and owners’ sides on hand. The world economy was in the center of the room. Billy Hunter, the executive director of the NBA Players’ Association, summed up what all… Read More
The Husson University Eagles, coming off their first-ever NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Tournament win, will hit the road again with the nation’s No. 1-ranked team awaiting them. New England Small College Athletic Conference champion Williams College, 16-0-1, will host the Eagles on Sunday at… Read More
Time and again I’ve seen sportsmen tire of a particular style of fishing or hunting or lose interest in a specific furred, finned or feathered quarry. I’ve had it happen myself over the years. But never once has my desire to pursue wary fast-flying ducks or wily keen-eyed… Read More
Every time I step out my door and breathe in the sights before me, I realize how lucky we are in Maine to have so many options of beautiful wilderness places to explore thanks to the efforts of many conservation organizations. Without them the depth of the experiences… Read More
Meandering from topic to topic … . The voting process is under way to determine this year’s winner of the Fitzpatrick Trophy, which goes annually to the state’s top high school senior football player. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var… Read More
The University of Maine baseball team has signed four players to National Letters of Intent for the 2009 season. The quartet includes catcher/first baseman Francis Whitten of Westborough, Mass., shortstop Mike Fransoso of Portsmouth, N.H., outfielder and pitching prospect Carlos Ramirez of Trumbull, Conn., and… Read More
The ability to respond to adversity is one of those intangible qualities that separates championship teams from middle-of-the-pack teams. The University of Maine football team continues to demonstrate resilience and the ability to respond to challenges by opponents as it continues its climb in the… Read More
With new CDs on the shelves from The Pretenders (Break up the Concrete), AC/DC (Black Ice), Foreigner (No End in Sight) and Squeeze (Five Live), life is good these days…. The Maine Principals’ Association does an exemplary job putting together its state championship events. It… Read More
The benevolence of the LTC and its fans as well as the state’s football officials has resulted in an infusion of nearly $9,000 to a fund that hopes to make an ailing player’s dream come true. The LTC held fundraising activities at each of its… Read More
Two Saturdays are in the book, and (as some have come to expect) I’m still among the deer-less. This weekend’s foray wasn’t that much different than last, save the fact that during my group’s midday break, we feasted on moose stew instead of sandwiches. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
Southern Aroostook of Dyer Brook and Orono, which represented Classes D and C in respective state girls soccer finals this weekend, should stay at or near the top the next couple years. The Class D state champion Warriors have a strong nucleus of juniors and… Read More
Bob Sinford is a rock picker. As boys soccer coach at Machias Memorial High School, Sinford spends much of his time performing the insignificant, mundane tasks which contribute to his successful program. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes =… Read More
The Husson College men’s and women’s soccer teams will both be in action this week. The men’s team, despite losing to Castleton State in penalty kicks in the North Atlantic Conference final and failing to claim an NCAA Tournament bid, earned a berth in the… Read More
On Thursday evening, about 70 people gathered in Brewer to share their thoughts on a federal proposal that would increase the Endangered Species Act protection of Atlantic salmon in three Maine rivers. The Penobscot, Kennebec and Androscoggin are on the list. Of those, the Penobscot… Read More
I received a phone call from a close crony last Saturday evening, the first day of deer season was history and he had a sad tale to tell. My buddy, who shall remain nameless to reduce the torment and razzing by so-called friends, had his chance at a… Read More
Recently, I had to travel to Indiana for my job, which necessitated driving to and from a large university and living out of a hotel situated in the middle of acre upon acre of big-box stores, fast food restaurants, and strip malls. Needless to say… Read More
The Maine Wildlife Park in Gray will close for the season at 5 p.m. on Tuesday. The park will mark Veteran’s Day by recognizing and thanking all past and present Maine military personnel by offering them free admission to the park on the final day… Read More
It was a little more than three years ago, Sept. 16, 2005, when this space was devoted to the fact the Mount Desert Island football team had won its first two games of the season. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of sports,… Read More
Led by captain John Quinn who, according to University of Maine coach Skip Nitardy, swam championship season times in the opening dual meet of the 2008-09 season, UMaine dumped Bryant College in a Sunday meet. “John swam great,” said Nitardy, who enthusiastically noted Quinn’s 1… Read More
University of Maine center forward Kelly Newton has been chosen the America East Rookie of the Year as chosen by the league’s coaches. Newton, a native of Vancouver, British Columbia, is the Bears’ leading scorer with eight goals and seven assists for 23 points. She… Read More
There is one MLB manager’s job still open and that is with the Seattle Mariners. There are three Red Sox coaches being mentioned as possible candidates for the job: pitching coach John Farrell, bench coach Brad Mills, and base coach DeMarlo Hale. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
It’s halfway through the first full week of deer season (at least as far as we firearms hunters are concerned) and my deer-hunting friends and acquaintances are all saying the same thing I am. Where are the deer? googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
ORONO – Stephanie Gardiner and Kelly Newton have played field hockey together since eighth grade. They decided to travel more than 3,000 miles to remain teammates and it is paying dividends for the University of Maine field hockey team. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
Guess what? The phone rang and there was an actual live voice on the line! It wasn’t a recording from a candidate! Anyway, is it me or are we seeing Matt Cassel develop into a legitimate NFL quarterback in front of our very eyes? googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
There is a unique excitement that comes with being in the hunt for the postseason. That feeling is palpable among the members of the University of Maine football team, which finds itself one of the many teams still in contention for the NCAA playoffs. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
When opening day of deer season rolls around, my hunting buddies and I are no different from many others. We are traditionalists. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0;… Read More
Today is Election Day. No, I’m not going to admonish readers to vote because I know most of you will. I would, however, like to address a few issues that I wish were on the ballot this fall. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
Phils reverse fortunes In the late 1930s and 1940s, a sportswriter named Jack Singer wrote a sports column which was printed in the Bangor Daily News. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for… Read More
As much as Grace Boutot loves running, her heart is truly on the ski trails. Even though it’s still early for some Mainers to be thinking about snow, the Fort Kent High senior, who finished second in the Class C cross country state championship race… Read More
Time was when a string of Clorox jugs would toll eider ducks. But allowing that for the past 20 years or so the popularity of guided sea duck hunts has risen like a full-moon tide, that time has passed. Consequently, big flocks of eiders, which once could be… Read More
For the past several months – ever since the snow began falling in Maine last winter and never seemed to let up – many of the state’s deer hunters have been asking the same question. What happens in November? googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife Advisory Council has adopted changes in ice fishing dates on certain bodies of water in Aroostook County, including a section of the St. John River. “This should please our anglers,” said DIF&W Commissioner Roland “Danny” Martin in… Read More
Tyler Chamberlain’s story is about a $1,100 brace and priceless determination. Chamberlain is a captain and two-way lineman for the John Bapst of Bangor football team, positions earned through his play on the field and his commitment during the offseason – he hadn’t missed a… Read More
The University of Maine swimming men open their 2008-09 season Sunday against Bryant College while the Black Bear women will race against the University of Rhode Island and Bryant at URI. The UMaine women opened the season last week, swimming past Central Connecticut 184-109 but… Read More